My first audio book on Netgalley. Was a bit glitchy to begin with. Listened to this book whilst I was out running and walking during lockdown. Not sure it was quite as good as The Flatshare but still enjoyable. I.lijed the narrators. Actually when I started my next audio book I missed the sound of their voices. Looking forward to this authors new book.

I tried multiple times to get through the audiobook and it just did not hold my interest. The narration was good but it was not much of a romance and more of a woman's fiction.

This was pretty good! I'm not sure I'd call this a romance as it focuses more on the grandmother's life rather than her search to love again, but all in all I still had a fun time with this one!

After blowing a big presentation at work Leena is ordered to take a two-month sabbatical. Her grandmother, Eileen, is newly single and would like a second chance at love. A solution is proposed: a two-month swap. The Switch follows Leena as she heads back to rural Yorkshire and takes on her grandmothers many projects. Meanwhile Eileen is left navigating the very different world of London, where she becomes a huge hit with her neighbours both young and old.

I went into this somewhat apprehensively, having not been overly keen on The Flat Share (personal preference). This, however, seemed much more my thing and it was! This was the perfect light read to start the year with, while never shying away from some hard-hitting themes. A heartwarming and charming read that you can’t help but enjoy. I loved Eileen and would happily read more about her.

The audiobook was well done and really captured the characters well. The dual-POV utilised by Beth O’Leary means her work is ideal for the audiobook format, with two clearly distinct voices throughout.This is further helped by the decision to have two narrators.

Thanks to NetGalley for providing me with this in exchange for an honest review.

CW: death, cancer, domestic abuse, adultery, grief, mental health, isolation, loneliness

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The Switch by Beth O'Leary is a delightfully funny book. It follows Lena Cotton and her grandmother Ilene Cotton as they try to put the pieces of their lives back together after the death of Lena's sister Carla. Grief has Lena falling apart in meetings at work, which in turn gives her a two month paid sabbatical. Her grandma is looking for an adventure after her husband of many years cheats on her and leaves. They decide to swap places. Lena will live in her grandma's country home while Ilene will got to Lena's place in London. What ensues is a great adventure for them both. Irene discovers dating websites and coffee shops and all the internet has to offer. Lena discovers peace in the little village where she attempts (sometimes quite hilariously) to take over her grandmother's duties. This book is a lot of fun. I laughed out loud many times. However, it takes a serious look at loss and how it looks and feels and what it does to us as people. Much recommend. I highly enjoyed! The narrators were fantastic. I didn't have any trouble understanding their accents or anything. It was pretty great!
Thanks to #NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book. All opinions are my own.
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This book was an interesting take on a life switch. However, instead of sisters, friends, or even a mother/daughter duo switching lives for a time, we see a granddaughter and her grandmother. Leena, who's in her 20's and living in London, starts experiencing physical setbacks due to unresolved trauma and is forced to take sabbatical from her work. On the other hand, her grandmother, Eileen, is single and ready for more adventure than her little cottage town can offer. As the title suggests, the women decide to switch lives, which finds Leena living in small Yorkshire while Eileen moves in with her granddaughter's roommates in a flat in London.

The struggles that ensue keep the book interesting while not straying far from being lighthearted, even as we learn what has caused Leena to focus so much on work in the first place.

I adored this book! The characters were lovable but also contained a depth I hadn't expected from the description.

This book was such a cute read! I absolutely LOVED how the readers read this one as it made for such a pleasant audio book. This story touches upon grief and the loss of a loved one and how that grief can affect a family afterward. This book includes Lena and Eileen who are grandmother and granddaughter who decide to switch lives for a little while and take a walk in the other persons shoes. It was so fun to read a book that centred around a grandmother and granddaughter and it made for a fun light hearted read!

I couldn't get into this book and it might be because it's an audiobook so I think I'm going to try it in actual ebook or paperback form sometimes I have a difficult time getting into audiobooks and other times they work swimmingly.

I had the audiobook and the kindle version of this book. I started listening to it while I was cleaning and when I was finished I couldn’t stop so I jumped into my kindle version... it was so good!! I loved The Flatshare so I was so excited when I heard about this book and it did not disappoint. I loved how this book had two main female characters. I loved following their journey. I love how Beth O’Leary adds so much depth to her romances. There’s so much more to the story. She has a way of making you fall in love with all the characters. I would definitely recommend this book.

This was my first book by Beth O'Leary, and I was not disappointed in this character-driven story. The Switch is a wholesome, feel-good story that was exactly what I needed to read. It was a slower, character driven story, which was a nice compliment to some of the other books that I've read recently.

As seventy-nine year old Eileen is looking for a second change at love and disappointed in the options in her small Yorkshire town, her granddaughter Leena is required to take a two-month break from her work in London. A little change would do both of them good, and they decide to swap lives for two months, where Eileen can look for love in London and Leena can slow down and relax in the village.

I loved the personalities of Eileen and Leena. Eileen's sense of humor and outspoken nature is a grandmother figure that I can't help but love. I easily connected with Leena and her personality, and I loved seeing her adjust to life in a different place and her interactions with all the people in the village.

The pacing was a little slow at times. I did see that this was labeled as a Romance, and I would call this more Women's fiction than a true romance. There are romantic elements, as characters look for love, but the friendships and familial relationships really take the spotlight in this book. I loved the character development and relationships of all kinds in the story, so I didn't mind as I was reading, but it was less of a romance than I expected.

I listened to this as an audiobook, and both the narrators for Leena and Eileen did an excellent job telling the story.

Many thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for the digital copy in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

Beth O'Leary's popular book The Switch had been on my TBR for a few months when I was lucky enough to be approved to review the audiobook. Whilst I usually find it hard to follow audiobooks without an accompanying text, this story with family front and centre gripped me, and I quickly started putting off other books on my list to listen.

The two narrators Alison Steadman and Daisy Edgar-Jones were excellent, their voice acting and accents adding a lot of colour and life to the story, and I found it easy to slot in to each woman's plot despite the switching back and forth between perspectives.

The Switch is set alternatively in London and a village in Yorkshire, and O'Leary's writing easily put images of both into my mind. As a Miss Marple stan I was more drawn to the village, which like St. Mary Mead is teeming with politics and life when you look closely. As Leena returned to her home, and learnt to face her past and her family, I found the relationships both realistic and heartbreaking.

Eileen's life in London was fun to watch, but what made me fall in love with her was her compassion for others and the cleverness she used to help people gently. O'Leary made clear Eileen's wisdom in holding back where necessary, and it was a delight to see her various plans come to fruition.

Whilst Goodreads may have categorized this book as a romance, I feel that the romantic lives of Leena and Eileen are very much second to the friendships within the book, and you will likely be disappointed if you go into this book hoping for a focus on romance. For both the Cotton women and the supporting cast of characters, this is a story of finding and being true to yourself, and then sharing that person with others. As a result I found it a truly uplifting read.

I would recommend The Switch to anyone looking for a heartwarming book with loveable characters, and have rated it 4.5 stars. Content warnings for death of a loved one, panic attacks, depression, and domestic abuse, suitable for ages 14+. Thank you to Macmillan Audio for sending me a complimentary copy in exchange for an honest review!

The narration on this was horrible - all the mouth sounds that you could hear during the telling drove me nuts and I actually have stopped listening and will continue my read via the hardcover I purchased.

Thank you for the opportunity to listen but the narration was a big flop because of the noises.

What a darling read! I thoroughly enjoyed this entertaining and surprisingly poignant novel about a young woman and her grandmother who swap homes at a difficult time in each of their lives. It very much echoes the movie “The Holiday” in all the best ways. It was so fun and touching. I can’t wait to read more by Beth O’Leary.

This is the cutest read. I really enjoyed it. It flips back and forth between two women narrators that make up the two main characters in the book. The narrators were both really good and clear speaking.

Leena and Eileen (granddaughter and grandmother perspectively) switch places. One looks for love and one looks for rest. The funny heartfelt story will have you laughing and cheering them on in no time.

I was so excited for another Beth O'Leary book and this did not disappoint. Eileen and Leena are wonderfully flawed and sweet as they hatch a plan to swap lives - giving Eileen the chance to experience the big city she didn't get at Leena's age, and Leena the chance to find a bit of herself at home. Having Eileen and Leena narrated by two different readers made this extra delightful as an audiobook. Some of the plot points might feel a bit obvious if you're a fan of the genre, but that doesn't make the conclusion any less touching.

My first audiobook and I just fell in love.
The narrators manage to convey the emotions of the characters wonderfully well.
I hadn't read the book and as soon as I finished listening it I've just put it on the list to buy.

Thanks to NetGalley for an Advanced Listening Copy of The Switch!

First, I loved the audiobook of this. So well done! However, I did not love this book as much as I loved The Flatshare but that really doesn't even matter. The Switch was a story about a grandchild and grandmother switching lives for a few months. Moving from corporate life to the small town, and from the charming small town life to the big city (at age 79!). I LOVED Eileen (grandma) and her whole 'finding herself' story line was just perfect. I didn't care as much for Leena's (grandchild) story. I think if we could have left out her having a boyfriend in the beginning of this book altogether maybe I'd feel differently. This book is NOT a romance. While it had romantic elements it was much more a story about overcoming the difficulties associated with grief, family relationships and just finding out what you want out of life. I really recommend this book as long as you go into it knowing it's not your usual Rom-Com!

I think I'll be reading anything Beth O'Leary releases. Her characters are so fun to learn about and experience!

This was a very sweet book that showed that you sometimes need a change of scenery to get perspective on your life and the changes you may need to do. And sometimes the answer is right under your nose.
I wouldn't necessarily categorise this book as a romance, it's more of a contemporary read with elements of romance. The main story is focused on finding oneself and finding the way back together as a family after a tragedy hits. It's also about friendship and the importance of a community.

We follow two people, Leena and her grandmother Eileen. When Leena has to take two months off of work, she suggests to her grandmother, who's recently been left by her husband, that they should swap lives and switch houses. Leena will be staying in her grandmother's house, taking her place in the town's Neighbourhood Watch Committee and organising the May Day festival, while Eileen will stay in the London-flat and enjoy what London has to offer, maybe even finding love.

This is a slow-paced book and as I said in the beginning, not a lot of romance, but it's a very sweet read and I definitely enjoyed it. The characters felt very real and I loved that both Leena and Eileen took the chance and made some serious changes to their lives.

This book was utterly delightful! All of the characters and surroundings came to life so vividly for me, and the narration was exceptional!